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Behind David Letterman's sex scandal: Look, there's Emmy!

October 2, 2009 | 1:26
pm

As all showbiz-award nuts know, there's a kudos application to every story in the news, including the current sex scandal surrounding David Letterman.

Turns out that the alleged extortionist in this case, "48 Hours" producer Robert Joel Halderman, won a news Emmy in 2006 for best continuing coverage of a news story for segment "Hostage," about Chechen separatists' attack on a Russian school. He was nominated in the same category last year.

Letterman's a big Emmy winner, of course. He claimed his first in 1981, at the Daytime Emmys, as best variety host of 1981. Then, when his show moved to evening hours, he won Golden Girls for writing in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1994. His program has won best variety show six times (1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002). Only one program has won that category more often — "The Daily Show" (seven times).